Receive the latest worth-the-trip updates in your inbox

Ribs, beef, and all sorts of meats'll be front-and-centered at the Queen Mary on Saturday, May 13, but dessert and bacon will also have their moments.

A PLATE OF BBQ, especially BBQ that boasts just the right rub or sauce, and has been cooked at the ideal length, doesn't need any fussing and/or mussing. It is, in the eyes of a 'cue-seeking buff, absolutely perfect, and can stand, in savory fashion, alone. But a BBQ festival is notably different from a plate of BBQ. It runs for several hours or days, and while a perfect plate of ribs, or brisket, can fill up a half hour nicely, there's a lot more space when it comes to a festival. The upshot? You're bound to see additions beyond that well-sauced meat, the better to fill out a lengthy, multi-hour roster. And the roster the sixth annual West Coast BBQ Festival on the Queen Mary is getting a couple of new additions in 2017, but additions that won't steal any spotlights from any spicy cuts of beef. Bacon is one addition, that true complement to traditional barbecue foodstuffs, and dessert is the other, another appetizing choice. Both categories will see pros and amateurs competing to create the most strip-sizzly, sweet-to-the-tooth concoctions. Of course...

BBQ IS STILL THE CELEBRITY... and the Saturday, May 13 Long Beach bash'll reflect that fact. "Over 50 barbeque pitmasters and amateur grillers will once again come together..." for the "classic showdown," a showdown that gives meat mavens (and dessert devotees) a chance to try out the good stuff, for two bucks a sample. The Kansas City Barbeque is on board, as in years gone by, and a number of doings throughout the day, from backyard-style games to live tunes, will make the Mother's Day Eve event extra-effervescent. So, for sure, there's a lot more to this happening than a simple plate of well-made BBQ, but that's okay: The fixings, from dessert to music to games, have a way of making all of that succulent spicy supping even tastier.